she had gone with Jack willingly, that she had not been in any danger—at least not from Jack—but she couldn’t form the words. She couldn’t form any words. Her mind and body were numb.
*
Anthony looked down at her beautiful face, all scrunched up in despair though it was, and smiled to himself. He’d had an epiphany, and now he knew what he must do. She would be the prize that would save him. A woman of her caliber and in her circumstance would have no choice but to accept his proposal, and then he’d be able to hold on to his family’s home. He’d never intended to marry or retire this young, but his elder brother’s untimely death had changed things. He either took his place as rightful heir, or the title and the attached lands would revert back to the crown. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. But in order to pay his late brother’s debts, he would need money, and unless he was mistaken, Katherine Conlon, his poor unfortunate passenger, could be the solution to his problem. How fortuitous. With that thought foremost in his mind, he left the room.
* * * *
A young boy brought tea and biscuits. Katherine could smell the fragrant Oolong tea leaves and the cinnamon in the baked goods, but the familiar smells did nothing to improve the way she felt. In fact, they made her queasy. The boy left just as an older man came in. He was immaculately dressed in a dark suit, and his hair was snowy white.
“My lady, I am the ship’s physician, Doctor Randall. Captain Spencer sent me to examine you.” When she didn’t respond, he reached for her wrist. “I’ll just take your pulse, if you don’t mind,” he told her, gingerly lifting her wrist between his finger and thumb. “Hmmmm, a bit rapid, but that’s to be expected. You need rest, but first do have some tea and a bite to eat. You must keep up your strength,” he said, nodding toward the tray the boy had set beside the bed.
After removing her shoes and covering her with a blanket, he left the cabin, and finally she was left in peace. But even though the ship was quiet and night had fallen, Katherine could not sleep. After a while she rose up on one elbow and looked at her surroundings, lit dimly as they were by a single candle in a brass candlestick. The bed was small, and the cabin neat and clean. She suspected it belonged to one of the ship’s officers, though not the captain. Still unable to believe what had occurred, how Jack and many of the crew of the Lady Elizabeth had been brutally killed right in front of her eyes, she lay there, staring into the dark corners of the little room, wishing it was all a bad dream. But finally the reality of what had occurred proved impossible to ignore, and she sobbed until her chest ached and she could cry no more.
Chapter 10
“You’ll be right as rain once you begin socializing again. You’ll see,” her stepfather assured her, as he sat across from her at the dinner table in their home in Colombo some months later.
She had come down to dinner because he had asked her to, but now she wished she hadn’t. It was always the same; it was not that he craved her company. All he wanted to do was preach to her, to tell her how lucky she was to be alive, to be safe and sound and back home in Ceylon.
“That man was a pariah, someone you would be better off forgetting. No decent man would have taken a woman from her home without her father’s consent.” He watched her as she picked at the multi-layered confection the cook had made to tempt her palate. Then he made a face. “Harrumph! What you need is a husband, Katherine. It is too bad that Viscount Richelieu is now affianced to Lady Marlowe,” he said, patting his mouth with a white linen napkin.
Katherine wanted to scream at him that what she needed was her captain, that her stepfather hadn’t really known Jack O'Bannon, hadn’t given him a fair chance. He had no idea what sort of man Jack had been…but she knew, and in the end she had loved Jack like she
*
Anthony looked down at her beautiful face, all scrunched up in despair though it was, and smiled to himself. He’d had an epiphany, and now he knew what he must do. She would be the prize that would save him. A woman of her caliber and in her circumstance would have no choice but to accept his proposal, and then he’d be able to hold on to his family’s home. He’d never intended to marry or retire this young, but his elder brother’s untimely death had changed things. He either took his place as rightful heir, or the title and the attached lands would revert back to the crown. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. But in order to pay his late brother’s debts, he would need money, and unless he was mistaken, Katherine Conlon, his poor unfortunate passenger, could be the solution to his problem. How fortuitous. With that thought foremost in his mind, he left the room.
* * * *
A young boy brought tea and biscuits. Katherine could smell the fragrant Oolong tea leaves and the cinnamon in the baked goods, but the familiar smells did nothing to improve the way she felt. In fact, they made her queasy. The boy left just as an older man came in. He was immaculately dressed in a dark suit, and his hair was snowy white.
“My lady, I am the ship’s physician, Doctor Randall. Captain Spencer sent me to examine you.” When she didn’t respond, he reached for her wrist. “I’ll just take your pulse, if you don’t mind,” he told her, gingerly lifting her wrist between his finger and thumb. “Hmmmm, a bit rapid, but that’s to be expected. You need rest, but first do have some tea and a bite to eat. You must keep up your strength,” he said, nodding toward the tray the boy had set beside the bed.
After removing her shoes and covering her with a blanket, he left the cabin, and finally she was left in peace. But even though the ship was quiet and night had fallen, Katherine could not sleep. After a while she rose up on one elbow and looked at her surroundings, lit dimly as they were by a single candle in a brass candlestick. The bed was small, and the cabin neat and clean. She suspected it belonged to one of the ship’s officers, though not the captain. Still unable to believe what had occurred, how Jack and many of the crew of the Lady Elizabeth had been brutally killed right in front of her eyes, she lay there, staring into the dark corners of the little room, wishing it was all a bad dream. But finally the reality of what had occurred proved impossible to ignore, and she sobbed until her chest ached and she could cry no more.
Chapter 10
“You’ll be right as rain once you begin socializing again. You’ll see,” her stepfather assured her, as he sat across from her at the dinner table in their home in Colombo some months later.
She had come down to dinner because he had asked her to, but now she wished she hadn’t. It was always the same; it was not that he craved her company. All he wanted to do was preach to her, to tell her how lucky she was to be alive, to be safe and sound and back home in Ceylon.
“That man was a pariah, someone you would be better off forgetting. No decent man would have taken a woman from her home without her father’s consent.” He watched her as she picked at the multi-layered confection the cook had made to tempt her palate. Then he made a face. “Harrumph! What you need is a husband, Katherine. It is too bad that Viscount Richelieu is now affianced to Lady Marlowe,” he said, patting his mouth with a white linen napkin.
Katherine wanted to scream at him that what she needed was her captain, that her stepfather hadn’t really known Jack O'Bannon, hadn’t given him a fair chance. He had no idea what sort of man Jack had been…but she knew, and in the end she had loved Jack like she
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